Following the nightmare in Norman, we did the man-on-the-scene thing with Ryan (while his thoughts were still fresh and unclouded by adult beverages).
First impressions?
"The big thing is, we didn't make adjustments. They ran bubble screens all game and we just never adjusted. After we scored they made some adjustments on defense, and we never did. Oklahoma didn't even look like they wanted to run. The bubble screens were working, so they just kept throwing them. And then we weren't tackling, we weren't wrapping up. On the two touchdowns on Greg Reid's side, he just hit the guy, and that was it. No wrapping, no tackling. They knew we were young and inexperienced on the corners, and I think they just exposed that."
Did it surprise you that FSU's defense looked like it never saw a bubble screen?
"What surprised me more is when OU started running the hurry-up offense, we were never ready. They were lined up to run a play and our guys were still looking to the sidelines for a coverage. I heard that Mickey Andrews told his defense that 'If I can't get a play in to you, just line up in a cover two'. But we had six or seven guys looking at the sidelines and OU's snapping the ball. And because Landry Jones got the ball out of his hands so fast, it pretty much neutralized any chance to bring pressure on him."
It looked like Nick Moody replaced Jenije most of the second half.
"That was probably the smartest move. I don't know if Jenije should be on the field. He never even ran to get back in position after a play. Moody is better suited to that safety position. Moody had been injured and probably wasn't 100%, but he we was still contributing a lot more today."
And the offense?
"After that first drive, Ponder was telegraphing -- only looking to one side of the field. Not a lot of progressions. It almost seemed like he didn't feel comfortable. And it was loud in there, but no louder than The Swamp or at Clemson. But the whole team was flat. And, of course, it starts with the quarterback."
Do you think FSU came in overconfident?
It seemed like OU had a different emotional level, too.
The Oklahoma coaches were out there on the edge of the field screaming every play. But our coaches were just standing there. You never really saw that fire, that passion. Also, from start-to-finish on the Oklahoma sideline you had the backups standing on the benches, waving towels and making noise. And our guys were just standing there, walking around.
How was the reception by the OU fans?
"They were actually saying, 'Hey, guys, keep your heads up, it's still a long season. Appreciate you coming out.' We were expecting constant trash talking. And maybe that's from too many years of playing Miami and Florida, but they were the nicest bunch of people. Yeah, I really wanted to mention how cordial and respectful the Oklahoma fans were."
So how do you think the Noles will react after this?
"When Oklahoma comes to Doak next season, I think we'll be a completely different team. In fact, I think you're going to see a completely different team next week against BYU. Hard to imagine right now, but I think today's loss will have a good effect. I definitely think we're going to bounce back from this; we're gonna learn from this. It's a reality check."
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